MINI warms up for new cabrio
Britain’s favourite hatch maker previews its upcoming cabrio with an Italian-bred drophead conceptMINI’s design team has joined forces with historic Italian design house Touring Superleggera to create a stunning, all-electric convertible concept car.
Unveiled as part of a preview for this year's Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza, the MINI Superleggera Vision was designed by pen twirlers from both MINI and Touring Superleggera.
The one-off special follows a long line of BMW concept car collaborations with Italian design houses for the Villa d’Este Concorso on the shores of Lake Como, with last year’s concept car being designed with Pininfarina.
It’s officially MINI trying to get across that electric cars don’t need to be dull, but it’s realistically the design team letting off steam at an event where they’re idolised.
BMW’s Senior Vice-President of Design, Adrian van Hooydonk, describes it as a classic roadster, a compact and agile two-seater and a minimalist and emotional driving experience all in one.
“It’s modern Britishness meets Italian flair,” he said. “Touring Superleggera and MINI have much in common: both companies attach great importance to their history and this is something which defines their outward appearance to this day.
“What’s more, they both emphasise iconic design and distinctive solutions. These elements are merged in the MINI Superleggera Vision to create an elegant automobile which interprets a British roadster under the influence of Italian style and hand craftsmanship.”
The Superleggera Vision’s wheels are set wide in the body and the passenger cell is set further back than normal for BMW’s design language, even as it wears the traditions of round headlights and a hexagonal grille. There are few panel gaps anywhere, since it’s made from very large sheets of aluminium.
It’s made largely from aluminium, with Touring Superleggera shaping the large aluminium sheets by hand to deliver a look that BMW insists is impossible to replicate by modern stamping techniques.
“MINI and Touring both believe that the proportions are the key factor of beauty, and share the same values of essentiality and innovation,” said Touring Superleggera Head of Design, Louis de Fabribeckers.
“In this car all unnecessary equipment or decoration is sacrificed, as performance is gained through lighteness and efficiency of the bodywork and interior. The Italian touch is in the proportions and the typical waistline.”
Shown on the grounds of one of Italy’s most expensive hotels, BMW likes that Villa d’Este is within a kilometre of Mercedes-Benz’s secretive interior design studio.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
